How to Avoid Online Work at Home Scams

The following are tips on how to avoid being scammed when looking for an online home-based business. Scammers rely on psychology and prey on the most vulnerable among us, including the sick and unemployed, as well as those with little or no income. Scammers take advantage of desperation, so be vigilant when searching online for a home-business opportunity. Perhaps you can't leave home, or you want a change in the kind of work you do. You've been looking for work-at-home jobs but are afraid to commit, because you're worried about scams. Not all work-at-home sites are scams, so consider the following ideas
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1. Avoid business opportunity sites that claim unrealistic income possibilities. 5,000 dollars in 5 days is most unlikely.
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   Do your research. The first thing to do is to learn to View an Advertisement Effectively.
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   Look for logos on the site indicating endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau or Truste.org.
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   Check that the site has contact information from independent sites. Then check on those sites and their testimonies. Check email addresses, so you can contact them. Check if there is a physical address. This adds credibility. If you are interested in a particular business, contact them stating your interest and await a response.
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   Research any company you're interested in. At the very least, it should have a listed telephone number and be available during normal business hours.
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   Search for work-at-home jobs using legitimate sources. Don't search online for "work at home". What you're likely to find are scams. Instead try well-established job boards such as Net-Temps.com or authoritative books like "The Work-At-Home Sourcebook."
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   Educate yourself. What kinds of jobs and industries really use home workers? With a little bit of research, you will quickly learn, for example, that working at home is common in the medical transcription industry, but there's no legitimate job known as "envelope stuffing."
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   Avoid "start up fees": Real work at home jobs are like any other jobs, except they are performed in home offices. You don't have to pay a fee to work at Starbucks or Hewlett Packard. Likewise, legitimate work-at-home job offers do not require registration fees or payment for "instructions". In other words, if you have to pay them anything in order to go to work for them, they're probably not legitimate.
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   Don't expect a money-back guarantee to protect you. Some people will try to sell you a get-rich-quick scheme, but 99% of them are scams. Talk is cheap. Scammers will promise you your money back if you're not satisfied, but they won't deliver on their promises.
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    Understand that working at home does not require a "program" or a "system" that you have to pay to learn. As with any other employment, either you already have the required job skills or you don't. If you need skills to get a job, enroll at the nearest college, vocational school, or technical school.
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    Use your head. If it were really possible to earn $1,000 a week assembling products at home, wouldn't everybody be doing it? The old adage still holds true: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
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    Look up Domain name on Domain Tools. There you can check registration details.
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    Look for guarantees on the site. Be sure to read the guarantee carefully.
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    Type in the company name in Google. If people have been scammed, they are very quick to broadcast that fact online.
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    Scrutinize carefully any testimonials. Are the photographs too professional? Are the reviews too good to be true? Chances are they may be false.
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    Avoid pyramid schemes and lotteries. Learn about such things online.
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    Tell your family and friends about any opportunities you're considering and ask what they think.
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    Take your time before signing up for anything. There are some legitimate online home-business opportunities. Keep your eyes open. You will soon be able to distinguish between the scams and the legitimate business.
19. Put away your credit card. Wait until you are sure before parting with your cash.
20. Google the name of the company followed by "reviews" or "scam".
21. Do your homework.
22. Avoid start-up fees.
23. Don't get discouraged. It takes time to find a good work-at-home job.
24. Do not make impulsive decisions. Sleep on it. Situations often look different next morning.
25. Check business resources and Entrepreneur Centers at about.com for information.
26. The U.S. Small Business Administration gives facts and legitimate resources.